Tod Tsukasa:
The first round of the 2023 amateur draft produced an unprecedented seven Hall of Famers: #10 Greg Dos Santos, #1 Juan Lantigua, #5 Jason Dockins, #3 Antwan Leanos, #15 Gerald Lipscomb, #11 Donald Murillo, and finally, #2 pick, Tod Tsukasa, drafted by Los Angeles. The Dodgers had been a strong team throughout the 10's, winning 6 division titles between 2010 and 2019, including 4 in a row from '16 to '19, but as the '20s began, the team slumped towards the bottom of the West Division, culminating in an embarassing 101 loss season in 2022. So it was that the 19 year old Tsukasa was available to them in the draft. There were few to challenge the talented young centerfielder for a starting spot, and Tsukasa stepped into the major leagues with nary a day in the minors. There was certainly raw potential, as he poked out 10 homeruns and swiped 17 bases, but his plate discipline left much to be desired. Still, he was named the NL Rookie of the Year in '23, and seemed to have a bright future in Los Angeles.
The following year, however, Los Angeles stunningly traded Tsukasa to division rival Sacramento despite the fact that his hitting had improved and his fielding in center was good enough for a Gold Glove Award. In 2025, Tsukasa spent much of the season on the disabled list after tearing a calf muscle, and his numbers dropped off sharply. At the trade deadline in '26, Tsukasa was on the move again. He was traded to Nashville for veteran and future Hall of Fame starting pitcher, Jeremy Poss. It was a strange trade for Nashville, a team in the thick of a division race, to make. Nevertheless, as Tsukasa hit 20 homeruns for the first time in his career, and stole what would be a career high 37 bases, the Predators won the Southeast Division by 9 games. After Nashville knocked off Tucson in the ALCS, they were pitted against a familiar face for Tsukasa in the World Series: Los Angeles. Despite ample motivation, Tsukasa did little of note, and the Predators were swept by Los Angeles.
Tsukasa batted .300 for the first time, and posted his first 100 RBI season in 2027, but Nashville just missed the postseason, finishing one game behind Knoxville in the Southeast. In '28, Tsukasa's power went to the next level, as he smashed 38 homeruns and slugged over .500 for the first time. He also won his second Gold Glove Award. Nashville was good, but good enough, that year. They posted 84 wins, but finished in third place, 10 games out of first. In 2029, Tsukasa was convinced to sign with Washington by former Sacramento teammate, 1B Jayson Funk. Though Washington did not have a particularly distinctive history, they were willing to spend a lot of money, and just maybe, they could spend enough to buy a winner. They came close, at least. With the third highest payroll in baseball, the Senators won 90 games, but finished in second place, two games behind Tsukasa's former team, Nashville. Tsukasa, meanwhile blasted 40 homeruns for the first time in his career, was named to his first All Star team, and won his third Gold Glove Award. 2030 was much the same as '29. Tsukasa had a monster season, finishing second in the batting race with a .364 average, and hammered 85 extra base hits en route to the Silver Slugger Award. The Senators, however, again finished in second place, 5 games behind Knoxville. Tings still did not change in '31, as Washington finished in third place, despite 93 wins, and another terrific season from Tsukasa.
Although Tsukasa's good friend, Funk, left Washington after the '31 season, the Senators brought in another ex-teammate of Tsukasa's, in an effort to placate their frustrated star. Greg Dos Santos, who had also played with Tsukasa in Sacramento, signed a big contract with Washington, to give the Senators an all future Hall of Fame outfield, with Tsukasa, Dos Santos, and Jason Dockins. It also gave the Senators the second highest payroll in baseball. A lot of good it did them. Only two American League teams posted winning records, and Washington wasn't one of them. The Senators limped to a 77 win season and finished tied for last place. The '33 season wasn't any better, as Washington won a meager 76 games, even as Tsukasa won his fourth Gold Glove Award in centerfield.
Having had enough of the situation in Washington, Tsukasa was happy to be a free agent in 2034. Strangely, however, he didn't sign with a team that was a perennial contender, or even one that looked like they could become a winner with the aid of a powerful bat like Tsukasa's. Instead, Tsukasa signed with one of the worst lackluster franchises around: Harrisburg. From 2019 to 2033, the Capitals had posted just one season above .500, and that one was only an 82 win season. They had finished in last place in the Northeast Division in 4 of the last 5 seasons. They hadn't finished as high as second place since 2022. It was certainly an odd team for a major star like Tsukasa to sign with. What followed was one of the most magnificent seasons of all time, and though Harrisburg would not reach the postseason, they would perhaps, be put back on the map.
After a brief flurry of 60 homerun seasons, things had quieted down a bit. In 2028, Antwan Leanos had broken a long drought by smacking 62 homeruns for Rochester. The following year, Tsukasa's buddy, Greg Dos Santos, had belted 62 longballs for Sacramento. Then, in 2030, Emanuel Maxon had set the single season record by hitting 70 for San Diego. The next three seasons, however, had not seen any 60 HR hitters. 2034, then, was all the more magical, because two sluggers reached the 60 homerun plateau. Over in the American League, 3B Donald Murillo would hit 62 for Memphis. In the National League, it was Tod Tsukasa who issued the first major challenge to Emanuel Maxon's record of 70.
April began inauspiciously, with Tsukasa hitting only 6 homeruns. May was bit better; he hit 9 homers. June was okay, as Tsukasa hit 8 homeruns to give give him 23 at midseason. At this point, he certainly wasn't on track for Maxon. In July, however, Tsukasa's bat erupted. He roared through the month, hitting .361 with 14 homeruns. If you were astounded by his July, well, his August blew it out of the water. Tsukasa ripped through August, hitting a whopping .435 with 20 homeruns, giving him 57 roundtrippers with one month to play. Could he hit the necessary 13 to tie Maxon? Almost, but not quite. Tsukasa belted 12 homeruns down the stretch, finishing with 69 four-baggers, one shy of Emanuel Maxon's record of 70. Along the way, Tsukasa set the National League record for RBIs and runs scored, with 186 and 156, respectively. The RBIs were also the major league record. The runs scored fell one short of Pierre Sanchez's major league record of 157 for Nashville in 2027. Tsukasa's RBI and runs scored record still stand untouched today. The Capitals, meanwhile, won 94 games, the most for the franchise since they won the Northeast Division in 2016 with 97 wins. Despite that, however, Harrisburgh still missed the postseason. Tsukasa won his second career Silver Slugger Award, and his 5th Gold Glove Award.
Harrisburg's success was fleeting, however. In '35, though Tsukasa had a typically excellent, if injury-plagued, season(though not nearly as good as his '34, of course), the Capitals plunged to the bottom of the division, losing 94 games. It got worse in 2036. Tsukasa again missed time due to injuries, and the Capitals lost 101 games, the first 100 loss season for Harrisburg since 2024. The team improved to 78 wins in 2037, but Tsukasa missed significant time to injuries for a third consecutive season. He did snag his 6th career Gold Glove Award, however. In 2038, Tsukasa reached 500 career homeruns, and won his 7th Gold Glove Award in centerfield. Harrisburg enjoyed a modest improvement, winning 82 games, most likely due to expansion, however.
In 2039, the aging, but still productive, Tsukasa was dealt to Knoxville, a team in the midst of a tight division race. It was just the shot in the arm the 79ers needed, as they edged out Atlanta for the Southeast Division crown by 2 games. Tsukasa homered 3 times in the ALCS against Kansas City, including a 2 out, 3 run blast in the 5th inning of Game 7 that gave Knoxville a 7-6 lead. Though the 79ers would eventually extend that lead to 9-6, they would blow both that lead, and a 10-9 lead, eventually losing 11-10 in 10 innings, ending Knoxville's season.
Tsukasa signed with Rochester in 2040, and had two solid seasons in '40 and '41. The 38 year old Tsukasa got off to a slow start in 2042, and was released in late May, despite being only 2 hits away from 3,000 for his career. Just a few days later, the Miami Dolphins, playing very well despite being in only their fifth season, came calling. Tsukasa did not play much for the Dolphins, but in mid-June, he became the 9th player to reach 3,000 career hits. The surprising Dolphins won their first ever division title in '42, posting an AL-best, 93 wins. Tsukasa made the postseason roster, but did not see any action. But the Dolphins were happy with whatever non-playing contributions the veteran centerfielder could provide. They blew past Kansas City in four games in the ALCS, and then knocked off a powerful Portland team in six games to capture the first World Series championship in franchise history. At long last, Tsukasa found himself on a champion, even if his own contributions were limited.
Tsukasa hung on for one more season, seeing action with Hartford and Knoxville in 2043, but was clearly at the end of the line.
When he retired, Tsukasa ranked 9th all time in hits, 5th in homeruns, 6th in RBI, 15th in triples, and 8th in runs scored. Today, he ranks 15th in homeruns, 16th in RBI, and 21st in runs scored. His 7 Gold Glove Awards in centerfield are the second most time of all time. Only Marcelo Silvera won more, with 8.
Tsukasa's stats:
Code:
Career Batting Stats
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams
2023 132 477 125 24 1 10 49 56 21 133 17 3 .262 .293 .379 .673 LA
2024 154 565 152 30 1 17 78 76 32 162 16 7 .269 .308 .416 .724 LA SAC
2025 94 387 86 14 3 14 39 48 29 95 14 5 .222 .276 .382 .659 SAC
2026 157 634 167 18 7 23 81 94 44 144 37 14 .263 .311 .423 .734 SAC NAS
2027 154 613 189 31 6 20 106 97 49 113 33 16 .308 .360 .476 .836 NAS
2028 128 499 144 19 7 38 108 97 41 105 26 5 .289 .343 .583 .926 NAS
2029 144 545 170 27 7 42 119 109 58 105 28 16 .312 .378 .618 .996 WAS,AL
2030 142 538 196 37 10 38 140 113 77 76 11 7 .364 .444 .682 1.126 WAS,AL
2031 155 626 194 22 10 38 129 147 77 85 16 11 .310 .385 .559 .945 WAS,AL
2032 158 591 196 42 9 23 110 102 73 69 16 12 .332 .405 .550 .955 WAS
2033 162 617 165 25 1 38 106 106 99 90 7 14 .267 .369 .496 .865 WAS
2034 157 611 197 30 5 69 186 156 80 83 9 10 .322 .401 .727 1.128 HBG,NL
2035 129 482 136 22 2 37 107 94 65 74 13 7 .282 .367 .566 .934 HBG
2036 116 454 137 30 6 34 100 82 43 86 10 2 .302 .362 .619 .981 HBG,NL
2037 128 479 127 18 2 29 90 83 54 103 11 6 .265 .340 .493 .832 HBG
2038 152 587 165 27 10 33 104 108 69 124 8 7 .281 .357 .530 .887 HBG
2039 157 573 152 27 4 30 98 91 60 154 9 6 .265 .335 .483 .818 HBG KNO
2040 157 580 151 25 0 26 100 101 81 126 14 10 .260 .351 .438 .789 ROC
2041 153 549 129 20 6 28 108 94 58 129 9 11 .235 .308 .446 .754 ROC
2042 68 134 37 5 3 3 12 19 8 31 4 0 .276 .317 .425 .742 ROC MIA
2043 22 66 9 5 1 0 5 3 5 27 2 0 .136 .197 .242 .440 HFD KNO
Total 2819 10607 3024 498 101 590 1975 1876 1123 2114 310 169 .285 .354 .518 .871
Career Postseason Batting Stats
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
2026 9 37 8 2 0 1 5 3 2 7 2 0 .216 .256 .351 .608
2039 7 29 8 0 1 3 6 4 1 4 1 0 .276 .300 .655 .955
Total 16 66 16 2 1 4 11 7 3 11 3 0 .242 .275 .485 .760
Player History
Drafted in 1st round, 2nd overall pick, by Los Angeles in 2023...
Had first career hit on 4/2/2023, off Wilson Guido (SD)...
Hit first career homerun on 4/4/2023, off Leon Ruelas (SAC)...
Won Rookie of the Year Award in 2023, hitting .262 with 10 HR, 49 RBI...
Traded from Los Angeles to Sacramento on 7/30/2024 (Going to LA: P L. Ruelas, P G. Xiquena. Going to SAC: CF T. Tsukasa)...
Had 5 hits with 0 RBI against Los Angeles on 9/24/2024...
Won Gold Glove Award at Centerfield in 2024...
Injured on 4/22/2025 with a Torn Calf Muscle, out for 10 weeks...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2026, hitting .414 with 3 HR, 6 RBI...
Traded from Sacramento to Nashville on 7/31/2026 (Going to SAC: P J. Poss, P V. Kaii. Going to NAS: CF T. Tsukasa)...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Memphis on 8/11/2026...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/1/2027, hitting .640 with 2 HR, 7 RBI...
Injured on 5/22/2028 with a Dislocated Shoulder, out for 5 weeks...
Had 6 hits with 4 RBI against Grand Rapids on 8/27/2028...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2028, hitting .480 with 4 HR, 8 RBI...
Won Gold Glove Award at Centerfield in 2028...
Signed as a free agent by Washington on 2/5/2029 to a 5-year deal worth $14,027,700 per year...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/7/2029, hitting .455 with 4 HR, 9 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/19/2029, hitting .414 with 3 HR, 8 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/9/2029, hitting .387 with 3 HR, 11 RBI...
Was selected to the 2029 Allstar game...
Injured on 7/16/2029 with a Jammed Finger, out for one week...
Hit 3 homeruns against Atlanta, driving in 5 runs on 9/4/2029...
Won Gold Glove Award at Centerfield in 2029...
Hit 3 homeruns against Memphis, driving in 6 runs on 4/15/2030...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2030, hitting .542 with 5 HR, 10 RBI...
Injured on 4/22/2030 with a Fractured Ribs, out for 2 weeks...
Won Batter of the Month award on 5/1/2030, hitting .429 with 8 HR, 22 RBI...
Was selected to the 2030 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/1/2030, hitting .462 with 4 HR, 13 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2030, hitting .423 with 8 HR, 30 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2030, hitting .364 with 38 HR, 140 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Knoxville on 4/24/2031...
Was selected to the 2031 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/14/2031, hitting .423 with 5 HR, 11 RBI...
Had 21-game hitting streak snapped on 4/30/2032...
Drove in 6 runs against Atlanta on 5/24/2032...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2032, hitting .464 with 3 HR, 9 RBI...
Won Gold Glove Award at Centerfield in 2033...
Signed as a free agent by Harrisburg on 2/7/2034 to a 6-year deal worth $20,282,400 per year...
Drove in 6 runs against San Diego on 5/17/2034...
Was selected to the 2034 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/14/2034, hitting .417 with 3 HR, 9 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/28/2034, hitting .400 with 3 HR, 7 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 8/1/2034, hitting .361 with 14 HR, 35 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/18/2034, hitting .481 with 7 HR, 16 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 5 RBI against Portland on 8/27/2034...
Won Batter of the Month award on 9/1/2034, hitting .435 with 20 HR, 41 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/1/2034, hitting .429 with 5 HR, 8 RBI...
Hit 3 homeruns against Hartford, driving in 4 runs on 9/8/2034...
Drove in 7 runs against Hartford on 9/9/2034...
Sets a new season NL-Record for RBI with 168 on 9/12/2034...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/15/2034, hitting .391 with 6 HR, 13 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2034, hitting .322 with 69 HR, 186 RBI...
Won Gold Glove Award at Centerfield in 2034...
Had 2000th career hit on 4/18/2035, off Steven Davis (LA)...
Injured on 6/9/2035 with a Strained Back, out for 3 weeks...
Injured on 7/28/2035 with a Strained Abdominal Muscle, out for one week...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/7/2036, hitting .519 with 6 HR, 14 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 5/1/2036, hitting .405 with 13 HR, 38 RBI...
Injured on 5/5/2036 with a Fractured Knee, out for 6 weeks...
Was selected to the 2036 Allstar game...
Hit 3 homeruns against San Diego, driving in 5 runs on 4/12/2037...
Injured on 4/24/2037 with a Fractured Hand, out for 4 weeks...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/21/2037, hitting .500 with 4 HR, 10 RBI...
Won Gold Glove Award at Centerfield in 2037...
Hit 3 homeruns against San Jose, driving in 4 runs on 4/15/2038...
Had 500th career homerun on 9/8/2038, off Roscoe Harmon (POR)...
Injured on 9/24/2038 with a Bruised Ulna, out for 1-2 weeks...
Won Gold Glove Award at Centerfield in 2038...
Drove in 6 runs against San Jose on 7/8/2039...
Traded from Harrisburg to Knoxville on 7/22/2039 (Going to KNO: CF T. Tsukasa. Going to HBG: RF B. Eidson, P C. Kwan)...
Signed as a free agent by Rochester on 2/5/2040 to a 4-year deal worth $10,126,400 per year...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/14/2041, hitting .500 with 3 HR, 9 RBI...
Released by Rochester on 5/26/2042, refused assignment to minors...
Signed as a free agent by Miami on 5/28/2042 to a 1-year deal worth $988,000 per year...
Had 3000th career hit on 6/19/2042, off Anselmo Ramirez (KC)...
Won World Series with Miami in 2042...
Signed as a free agent by Hartford on 2/8/2043 to a 2-year deal worth $606,500 per year...
Released by Hartford on 4/7/2043, refused assignment to minors...
Signed as a free agent by Knoxville on 4/21/2043 to a 1-year deal worth $300,000 per year...
Released by Knoxville on 6/23/2043, refused assignment to minors...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2044.
Batting Leader Boards Appearances
AVG
2030 - .364 - 2nd
OBP
2030 - .444 - 3rd
2032 - .405 - 7th
SLG
2028 - .583 - 4th
2029 - .618 - 3rd
2030 - .682 - 1st
2031 - .559 - 8th
2032 - .550 - 10th
2034 - .727 - 1st
2035 - .566 - 3rd
2036 - .619 - 1st
OPS
2028 - .926 - 7th
2029 - .996 - 3rd
2030 - 1.126 - 1st
2031 - .945 - 9th
2032 - .955 - 8th
2034 - 1.128 - 1st
2035 - .934 - 5th
2036 - .981 - 2nd
Hits
2027 - 189 - 8th
2030 - 196 - 8th
2032 - 196 - 8th
2034 - 197 - 3rd
Doubles
2032 - 42 - 9th
Triples
2026 - 7 - 10th
2029 - 7 - 8th
2030 - 10 - 2nd
2031 - 10 - 4th
2032 - 9 - 4th
2036 - 6 - 6th
2038 - 10 - 2nd
Homeruns
2028 - 38 - 5th
2029 - 42 - 4th
2030 - 38 - 7th
2031 - 38 - 5th
2033 - 38 - 9th
2034 - 69 - 1st
2035 - 37 - 2nd
2036 - 34 - 9th
RBI
2029 - 119 - 6th
2030 - 140 - 2nd
2031 - 129 - 4th
2034 - 186 - 1st
2035 - 107 - 9th
Runs
2029 - 109 - 9th
2031 - 147 - 1st
2034 - 156 - 1st
BB
2030 - 77 - 10th
2033 - 99 - 3rd
SB
2026 - 37 - 3rd
2027 - 33 - 4th
2028 - 26 - 10th
2029 - 28 - 5th